Clay Cherry Blossoms
by I-Love-Akatsuki
Summary: What happens when Sakura is captured by the Akatsuki and she falls in love? DeiSaku slight ItaSaku. Rating may change. Discontinued  I'm not adding anymore sorry
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**The Kidnapping**

A pink-haired ANBU was running through the forest looking for a place to hide. Her black cloak and hair were soaked from the rain which was streaming off her ANBU cat mask. She couldn't find anyplace to hide, so she decided on a distraction. She dashed off the trail and hid in the bushes.

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Four men in cloaks that were black with red clouds on them were chasing the pink-haired ANBU. Their faces were hidden under the hats they were wearing. Only their eyes showed.

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The ANBU watched as the four men came into the middle of the clearing she had picked.

'**So they ARE Akatsuki. Damn, this is going to be far harder to do than I thought, but if anyone can pull it off I can.'**

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The four men stopped in a clearing that they had last felt the ANBU's chakra. Sounds of metal against metal suddenly rang through out the forest as kunai were thrown and blocked.

The men seemingly disappeared, but quickly reappeared in the trees. The ANBU came out into the middle of the clearing and the four men quickly surrounded her. One of the men had a large wrapped sword on his back. Faster than most people could follow he slammed the handle into the ANBU's stomach, but instead of doubling over the ANBU disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"Damn! Another clone!" the man with the sword yelled out.

"Interesting," another of the men spoke. "She still has enough chakra to do a full clone."

"Wow, yeah!" a third spoke.

"Hn, we're wasting time," the final one spoke.

The four men ran in the direction that they felt the fading chakra signal going.

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'**I can't go much farther. I have to find a place where they won't find me.'**

The ANBU was close to passing out. She could barely feel the chakra signals chasing her. Suddenly the men were in front of her. She knew she had lost, but she wouldn't lose without a fight.

She pulled out a kunai and waited for one of them to strike.

The man that attacked her was too fast for her to fight in her exhausted state. He easily struck her pressure point.

The ANBU fell backwards into her attacker and passed out.

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"Hey Itachi, she's waking up," a male voice said.

The ANBU struggled to open her eyes.

"Good. I will watch her now," another male voice was heard.

She finally opened her eyes only to see two men above her. She looked around herself and noticed that she was inside a tent. Her inspection of her surrounding was interrupted by someone talking to her.

"Look at me," the voice belonged to the second person. The ANBU looked at the other side of the tent. "Look at me," the voice commanded again.

The ANBU slowly turned her head to look at the man who was talking to her. She noticed that the other man was gone.

The man who had talked to her was wearing the Akatsuki cloak, but no hat. His long black hair was pulled back in a low ponytail. His red Sharingan eyes stared at her green ones. The ANBU couldn't help but notice the similarities between the man in front of her and her childhood crush Sasuke Uchiha.

"Sakura Haruno, 1st ANBU Captain and apprentice to the Fifth Hokage, am I correct?" the man asked.

"Yes, Itachi Uchiha," Sakura answered angrily.

"So you do know who I am," Itachi said tonelessly.

"Of course I know who you are!" Sakura yelled. "You're the man who killed his entire clan, but left his little brother to suffer. YOU RUINED SASUKE-KUN'S LIFE!"

Itachi's eyes narrowed by such a small degree that it was hard to tell. "Watch what you say around me. I can easily kill you."

Sakura was slightly frightened by what seemed like his anger, but it was so hard to tell when dealing with the stoic Uchihas.

Itachi turned and left the tent. "Is it my shift already, yeah?" a voice said outside the tent.

"Hn," was the only reply.

Soon after the 'hn', another man walked in.

This Akatsuki member looked a lot like a woman. His long blonde hair was mostly pulled back in a ponytail. A large chunk of the hair that wasn't pulled back hung over his left eye. He had blue eyes, but only one was visible because the other was covered by a scope. He still had his cloak on.

"Hey, yeah," the man started, "I'm…

"Deidara, the explosive expert that uses clay instead of explosive tags. I already know who you are," Sakura stated. "I'm not in the mood for talking, so you should just sit down and let me sleep. Wake me up when we start moving."

Deidara just sat there. He was shocked at how angry this girl sounded. It seemed like it was directed at him, but he couldn't figure out why.

**'Why are you so angry at me, yeah?'**

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**A/N: Hey everybody. My first fanfiction so please no flames. Tell me what you think. I'm willing to take suggestions.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey everybody! Thanx to those of you who reviewed.**

**Chapter 2**

**Where is she?**

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN NOT HERE!" an enraged Hokage screamed at the ANBU around her.

"She sent us ahead, I think she had something personal to take care of that we couldn't help with," one of the ANBU said.

"She was sort of shaken up during the last part of the mission. She must have had something she needed to finish," another ANBU spoke up.

"-sigh- Everyone out. Except you Kakashi," the Hokage said.

After everyone left Kakashi asked, "What do you need me for?"

"You know what Sakura has been going through more than anyone. Do you know of something she needed to do?"

"If she did, she never told me, but she did tell me about some interesting dreams she was having. I didn't think anything of it until this happened. I still don't think it means anything, but maybe…" Kakashi trailed off.

"What were the dreams? They might give us a clue as to what she might have needed to do."

"Tsunadae-sama, you can't tell anyone else about the dreams. Sakura made me promise to never tell without a reason," Kakashi said.

"Ok, I promise," Tsunadae said.

Kakashi told her about the strange and unusual dreams Sakura had been having.

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"Wake up, yeah," Sakura didn't completely recognize the voice. "Come on, you told me to wake you up, yeah."

Sakura slowly opened her eyes. What she saw did not help her foul mood from earlier.

Deidara was leaning over her sleeping body and his face was quite close to hers. She glared for only a few seconds before reacting.

"GET OFF ME!" She screamed. She punched him in the jaw.

Deidara went flying out the tent. He hit a tree on the far side of the camp.

Soon after Deidara flew out of the tent, a very angry Sakura stalked out.

She looked around. She saw Itachi and the other two members of the Akatsuki. Everyone was staring at her. The 7 foot man with the sword on his back was staring openly. The red-haired man next to him did a better job of hiding his stare. Itachi didn't even seem interested.

The camp was almost completely taken down. There was still the fire pit and the tent Sakura slept in, but other than that it didn't even seem anyone had been there.

"Unnnnnn" Deidara groaned. "That hurt, yeah." He reached up to touch his jaw. He flinched as soon as he did. "OW!!!! You broke it! OW!!!!"

"Stop talking you idiot," Sakura scolded. "You'll just make it worse."

Deidara glared at Sakura as she continued to look around. She turned back to him and, seeing his glare, narrowed her eyes and glared back at him.

"Hey, little girl!" the man with the sword yelled. "Get over here. We're leaving."

Sakura turned her glare to the man who had spoken to her. He was much taller than her. His skin was light blue and he had small white eyes. He looked a lot like a shark with what looked like gills bellow his eyes. He even had sharp triangular teeth.

'**This must be Kisame Hoshigaki. The missing nin from Mist.'**

Still glaring she walked over to him. "I'm not a _little_ girl," she ground out between clenched teeth.

"Kisame," Itachi said.

Kisame nodded and walked closer to a suspicious Sakura.

Before Sakura had anytime to respond Kisame had jammed his sword's hilt into her wounded stomach and she passed out again.

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Sakura woke up to the feeling of moving.

'**How can I be moving…? Oh, right. That idiot Kisame is carrying me. GREAT! Now I have to get out of here with no chakra. I HATE Kisame's sword.'**

Sakura opened her eyes and saw that she was not being carried by Kisame as she first thought, but by Deidara. She was amazed that he would even come near her. His expression showed that he did not want to be carrying her.

Sakura took more time to study Deidara's face. He was very handsome. If he wasn't scowling she might have enjoyed looking at him.

'**Don't think about him like that. He's the ENEMY!'**

Deidara was carrying Sakura bridle-style. Sakura could feel Deidara's chest beneath his shirt. His cloak was open and billowing behind them. He had on a black shirt.

Sakura was still tired from having her chakra drained. She decided there was nothing she could do for the time being, so she fell back asleep.

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**A/N: The next few chapters will be up fast. They're already written, I just need to make sure grammar and spelling are good. O, and REVIEW!!! Please 'puppydog face'**


	3. Chapter 3

**Just noticed, I haven't put a disclaimer yet.**

**Disclaimer: I dont own Naruto... T-T**

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**Chapter 3**

**They Figure It Out**

"Your mission is to find Sakura," Tsunadae said. "I have a small suspicion that the Akatsuki is behind her disappearance. You cannot tell anyone about this mission. Don't even discus it between yourselves until you are far from Konoha. If Naruto or Sasuke hear about this mission, well you all know them well enough to know what will happen. I can't let them go on the mission."

"Hokage-sama, I don't know if I can keep this mission a secret from Naruto for much longer," Hinata said.

"Then avoid him, I know it's hard to keep it from him, but it's for his own good. He might be the reason the Akatsuki took Sakura."

"TSUNADAE-BAA-CHAN!" a voice was heard from outside the door. Even though he was 24, Naruto was still an immature buddle of energy. "I finished the mission!"

"Damn, of course he comes now," Tsunadae swore as quietly as she could. "Everyone out!"

"OLD LADY?" Naruto called behind the door.

Tsunadae ran over to the door after everyone had used their own method of leaving the room. She opened it to a very confused Naruto.

"You never answer the door…" Naruto trailed off. "Something's up! I know it."

"Naruto, are you going to give me a report or not?" Tsunadae asked trying to get Naruto to forget what he was thinking about.

"Wha? Oh yeah!" Naruto enthusiastically gave the report then left.

Tsunadae sighed, now she had to call another meeting at some other time so Naruto wouldn't figure more out. She hoped Naruto wouldn't tell Sasuke about the strange behavior. If Naruto didn't figure it out, Sasuke would.

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"Hey Teme!" Naruto yelled.

"Dobe, I told you to leave me alone." Sasuke said. "I don't want company."

"Fine! If this is what I get for bringing you diner, I'm not doing it again," Naruto whined.

"Didn't know you even cared, dobe," Sasuke replied sarcastically.

"I was even going to tell you about the weird things going on since Sakura's team came back without her."

"Sakura's team?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah, didn't you know? She's ANBU now."

"No, why didn't anyone tell me?"

"I guess she didn't want you to know."

"You said something about strange things going on," Sasuke prodded.

"Oh, yeah," Naruto started. "Well, Tsunadae-Baa-chan has been holding 'secret' meetings that she thinks I don't know about and she keeps acting strange. Like today when I went to report, she OPENED the door by HERSELF! I mean since when does she do things for herself? It's really weird. Hinata has been avoiding me. She won't even tell me why."

"When did the meetings start?" Sasuke asked.

"A little after Sakura's team got back." Naruto answered.

"We need to go to the Hokage's office. I have a few things I need answered." Sasuke told Naruto.

**A/N: Please tell me if any of the names are spelled funny. The computer I used was wacko! Thanx :) And sorry about the shortness. Next chapter is longer, promise. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Don't know how long it'll be until next chapter. This one's the longest so far. Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: Um... I dont own Naruto ok? Why do you have to tourcher me?**

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**Chapter 4**

**Confrontation**

"Wake up, yeah," Deidara told the sleepy Sakura. "We're making camp." Deidara was still angry and cautious of Sakura, so he stayed far away from her as he woke her up. "You're helping." He said. "Make a fire and cook whatever Kisame brings you. Itachi will bring you some wood."

A little while later Itachi came into the clearing where their camp was. He dumped a pile of wood in front of Sakura. She collected the wood and took it over to where she wanted the fire. She pulled out some of the smaller sticks a built them around a pile of dead pine needles she had found. She lit a match and soon had a fire going.

Half an hour later, Kisame came back with five fish. Sakura took them from him and put then on a skewer she had made. A little while later the fish were done. The group ate in silence.

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"Hokage-sama, I need to talk to you," a seemingly calm Sasuke said.

"What is it Sasuke?" Tsunadae asked.

"I want to know about Sakura. I haven't seen her in a while and I don't even know about her anymore. If she won't tell me, will you?"

"Well, I guess I can tell you the things everyone else knows," Tsunadae was reluctant to talk about Sakura with Sasuke. "She's the 1st ANBU Captain and a great medic, she's almost better than me. She works in the hospital whenever she isn't on missions. When she gets a day off she goes off training alone or with Kakashi. No one knows really how strong she has gotten since the only time she goes all out is by herself. She is my apprentice and is giving Naruto a lot of competition for position of Hokage. Everyone seems to think that Naruto will become Hokage and she'll become his best adviser. I don't think I've forgotten anything."

Sasuke just stared at her with his mouth open. It took several minutes and a loud Naruto entrance to get him out of his stupor.

"SASUKE-TEME! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" Naruto yelled running into the room. "Heh? What's going on?"

"Naruto, I was just telling Sasuke about how far Sakura has come. I'm amazed he still thought she was weak." Tsunadae explained.

"I didn't think she was weak…" Sasuke argued weakly. "Where is she right now?"

Tsunadae didn't want to answer that question; she didn't know what to tell the two boys in front of her. "She's… still out on her mission."

"Liar!" Naruto shouted. "You think I didn't know about those meetings. Well I do know about them, and I want to know what they're actually about." He ended with a pout.

"-sigh-Well I guess I have to tell you then, since you probably won't leave me alone until I do. We suspect that she was kidnapped in order to get something from us. We aren't sure who has her or what they want, since contact has not been made, but we are pretty sure the Akatsuki have her. We believe she is bait to get to Naruto. After talking to Kakashi and following a trail that led us to a dead end that is our conclusion." Tsunadae explained.

"So, she might be with my brother?" Sasuke asked, anger already rising to his normally clam surface.

"That is a possibility, yes," Tsunadae answered. Sensing that the two boys wanted to get Sakura back she said, "If you want to help, come here tomorrow at 2 in the afternoon."

With a nod of her head Tsunadae dismissed Naruto and Sasuke.

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Last time Sakura was in a tent she was out cold, but this time she had to go into Itachi's tent **with** him. She moved to the far end of the tent. She didn't want to be anywhere near the murderous Uchiha.

Itachi threw a blanket at her and lay down on his sleeping mat. All Sakura got was the cold ground.

She glared daggers at Itachi's back as he was falling asleep. She didn't think she could escape, but she didn't want to seem like she had given up.

**'Maybe if I pretend like I've given up, they'll let down their guard enough to let me get away. I doubt this will work, but it's worth a try. And I should heal poor Deidara's jaw. I guess he was just waking me up, not trying something perverted.'**

Sakura mentally sighed.

'**This is so annoying. I have to get out of here, but without my full chakra reserves I'm helpless against these guys.'**

With these thoughts Sakura finally managed to fall asleep.

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"What are they doing here? I thought they weren't allowed to know," Shikamaru asked.

"They figured out what was going on," Tsunadae answered. "I decided to let them help. I doubt they would have stayed in Konoha if I hadn't let them."

"Can we just get on with the meeting?" Naruto asked impatiently. "I want to save Sakura now."

"Ok, Naruto," Tsunadae sighed. "Naruto, Sasuke, this is what we think happened…"

An hour later Tsunadae was done telling Naruto and Sasuke the things that the rest of the group had gone over. The next three hours were spent figuring out where to start their search and who would be in command.

"Tomorrow is when you all will be heading out. Remember your own team. Team Kakashi: Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto. Team Neji: Neji, Tenten, Lee. Team Shikamaru: Shikamaru, Hinata, Kiba, Akamaru, Ino. Stick with your team," Tsunadae finished up the meeting. "Remember, 7 in the morning. DO NOT BE LATE. That means you Kakashi."

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Itachi was rudely awakened by Sakura's snuggling. He was first surprised by her actions, but he soon realized that she was still asleep.

'**Should I wake her up?** **No, that would be ill-advised. I'll just slip out of her arms…'**

As Itachi attempted to get out of Sakura's hug, her arms tightened around his waist. The only thing he could do that wouldn't wake her up was stay.

Itachi had a hard time falling back asleep with Sakura hugging him around his waist, so he slowly moved her arms to around his neck as he slid back beneath the blanket.

When Sakura woke up she almost screamed, but decided that it was smarter not to. Itachi had his arms around her waist and his head leaning on her neck. Her arms were around his neck and her body was pressed against his.

She tried to escape his grasp, but only succeeded in slightly waking him up. He looked at her sleepily, and then buried his face into her neck again.

'**I thought Itachi would have been fully awake after that.'**

As Sakura was trying to decide what to do, Itachi had woken up. He could see her emotions fighting to gain control. He decided to see how far he could push her before her emotions broke loose.

"Did you sleep well?" Itachi asked the obviously distressed Sakura. She looked at him, confusion showing in her eyes. She had obviously forgotten how close their bodies were since all she did was stare at him.

"N-no, not really," she stuttered, still confused as to why Itachi cared how well she slept.

"Maybe I can make it better," Itachi said. Then his lips were on hers. She was too shocked to react. He bit her lower lip lightly and she gasped. He stuck his tongue in her mouth. Sakura tried to keep from moaning, but it was hard not to, Itachi was being very cruel in his enjoyment. She was enjoying his kiss too much. She did the only thing she could to break off the kiss, she turned her head.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Sakura screamed, finally over her shock.

"Hn," Itachi replied, pulling away and grabbing a shirt from his pack. On the inside he was smirking, but to anger Sakura even more, he kept a calm, non-caring exterior. This worked exactly as he wanted it.

"ARG! DO YOU EVER SHOW **ANY** EMOTION?" Sakura continued screaming.

"Hn"

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" Kisame's voice was heard outside of the tent. "Some of us were still asleep…" He trailed off.

Sakura stalked out of the tent and came face to face with the last Akatsuki member.

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**MUAHAHAHAHA! Evil cliffy. Sorry about that. I just wanted to get another chapter up :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry, couldn't think of a chapter name 'smiles sheepishly'. I can't believe how long it took me to write this chapter... I HATE writer's block. It's compleately useless. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I probably never will. I do own the fanfiction though, so no stealing :)**

**Chapter 5**

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"This is so troublesome," Shikamaru mumbled to himself.

"Kakashi still hasn't arrived," Tenten said.

"We need to get going!" shouted Naruto.

It was 7o'clock the next morning and everyone was there, except the infamous copy ninja, Kakashi. When he did show up, it was half past 7. He even had a lame excuse which caused Naruto to yell even more.

"Come on!" Naruto yelled. "We need to go now. I want to find Sakura-chan!"

The group took off.

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"Haruno-san?" the red-haired Akatsuki asked with a raised eyebrow. **(A/N Kisame and Deidara do not know who Sakura is. Only Itachi (who was told she was the target) and Sasori (who had figured it out because he had heard about her) know.)**

Sakura raised an answering eyebrow, curious as to why he would bother speaking to her. "_Sasori_-san."

"Ahh, so you know my name as well," Sasori said.

**'This girl is interesting. She seems to know more about us then we do about her. I doubt we've seen her full ability. If we hadn't gone after her when she had just finished a long mission, we might have had a harder time catching her. She might have even been able to seriously harm one of us. I think I shall watch her for a while longer. That monstrous strength could come in handy if she joined the Akatsuki.'**

"What are you staring at?" Sakura snapped at Sasori, who, until she snapped at him, was lost in thought figuring out how to get her to join the Akatsuki.

"Nothing, Haruno-san," Sasori said. "Just thinking is all…" He trailed off walking away.

**'Thinking? About what? Sasori seems to be just as perceptive as Itachi, but not as strong. He uses puppets… I guess I'll have to watch him and Itachi. Kisame and Deidara don't seem to be much of a threat, but I'll have to watch my back.'**

Sakura was so busy formulating a plan to stay alive that she hadn't noticed Deidara's presence behind her.

"Hey, yeah," he said. She whirled around ready to punch him, but remembered who he was and stopped in mid-swing.

"Don't sneak up on me, it's not nice," Sakura said with a mock pout.

"What's with the pout?" Deidara asked. "You're like a dual personality or something."

"Now that's really not nice," Sakura stated getting a little bit mad. "You should be extra nice so maybe I'll actually heal your face _and _I might even keep it from scaring."

"…" Deidara was now really confused at the way this girl was acting. One minute she's ready to rip your head off and the next she's implying that she might, _might_, fix the damage that _she_ caused. "You shouldn't have a choice as to whether or not you fix my face. You'll have to. Or I'll…"

"You'll what?" Sakura interrupted. "The only thing you could do that would scare me would be to bring that perverted Uchiha out here and make him make me."

Deidara scowled at how annoying she was being. "Fine," he said in defeat, "but will you at least tell me your name?"

"Don't you know? The Uchiha and Sasori-san know my name," Sakura said, confused by Deidara's ignorance of who she was.

"Itachi-san and Sasori-danna don't really tell me things," Deidara answered with a shrug.

"Well, if you must know, my name is Sakura Haruno," Sakura told Deidara. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to relieve my self." With that Sakura stalked off and went behind a tree a little ways away from the camp.

**'Hmf, she's in a bad mood, _again, _yeah. So her name is Sakura Haruno… Where have I heard that name before, yeah? Is she the Godaime Hokage's apprentice? No… maybe?'**

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The group of ANBU was taking a break. It had been five hours since they left. Currently everyone was eating lunch.

Neji, Kakashi, and Shikamaru were in a group discussing the mission.

**'Why was Sakura captured?' **Sasuke thought to himself. **'I still don't think she's strong enough to be of any use to the Akatsuki. Maybe, if they're still after Naruto, she's being used as bait.'**

"Sasuke-teme," Naruto said walking up to Sasuke, "do you think Sakura-chan is alright?"

"I don't know Naruto. You probably know her better than I do, but I wouldn't be too hopeful. My messed-up brother might have tried something," Sasuke said, not really caring. "Not that I care."

"Teme," Naruto growled dangerously. "Sakura-chan was always there for you, and all you can do is just come along because you were assigned to rescuing her. You're probably going to go after Itachi as soon as we're close enough. You're going to get Sakura-chan killed because you're too selfish to realize what she could have given to you."

"Hn," Sasuke replied.

"Break it up you two," Kakashi said walking over. "We're leaving in five minutes."

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**Sorry if anyone is OOC. Like Sakura's weirdoness in this chapter. I think she's just being overloaded by the fact that Itachi is taking a liking to her. Even if he doesn't realise it. And yes. Sasuke does care about Sakura, but he doesn't want people to know. And I don't like Sasuke, so he's probably going to end up obsessing over killing Itachi and lose Sakura's love forever. Review please!!!!**

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**THANK YOU's**

**Shurikengrl: **Thank you for the reviews :) And thanx for letting me know that there seems to be no errors.

**Dragondreamer99, Gaarsaku4ever, Frooker-scene, JenKonoha, Catastrophe-lover, Inuyashasmistress25, and Crazy Neko Girl: **Thank you for reviewing :)

**Forehead-Girl: **Thank you for the review. O, and tell me why you don't like Uchihas :)

**Chey1ne: **Thank you for the review. Sorry about the cliffy, and sorry about the whole, non-exciting continue of my story. Nothing happened... '-.-


	6. Chapter 6

'**Thoughts'**

'_**Inner Sakura/character'**_

"Speaking"

**Chapter 6**

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Sakura was still ticked at Itachi even though it was five hours later. The group was taking a break since they knew no one was close enough to catch them any time soon. Sakura was still debating whether to heal Deidara's jaw or not.

'**Che, I shouldn't. He can find someone else to fix it.'**

'_**But that's again your medic-nin training. YOU'RE the one that caused the injury. I'm surprised they didn't do anything to you because of it.'**_

'**Yeah, but the loser deserves it. I should have killed him since I had the chance, but of course Kisame is probably draining me while I'm still asleep.'**

'_**No, I don't think so; I think you just wasted all of your chakra. You know how long it sometimes takes for it to all come back. You probably have enough to heal…'**_

'**Why are we talking about this again?'**

'_**Because you can't decide whether to heal Deidara or not.'**_

'**Whatever……… fine…'**

"Deidara-san," Sakura called.

"What do you want, yeah?" Deidara moodily asked, he thought she was going to be even meaner.

"Come here."

"No, yeah."

"Was that a no or a yes?" Sakura teasingly asked.

"A no!" Deidara yelled leaving off his 'yeah' in order to get his point across.

"Fine, then I'll just come over there," Sakura said as she started walking towards the slightly horrified male.

"Stay away!" Deidara whimpered. He might have been curious about her, but he really thought she was going to do something nasty.

"Stop being such a baby, Deidara," Kisame said.

Sasori just smirked a little, the only thing he did that showed he was amused.

"You try being punched in the jaw with a chakra laced fist, yeah!" Deidara yelled.

"It wouldn't hurt that bad," Kisame shrugged.

"Oh yeah?" Deidara glared at Kisame.

Kisame just laughed in response because while he was pretending to fight with Deidara, Sakura had gotten close enough to pin Deidara down.

"LET GO OF ME!" Deidara screeched.

"Stop struggling or I will hurt you," Sakura said impatiently. Her comment made Deidara cease all of his struggling immediately.

Sakura mentally sighed before putting her hands up to Deidara's face. She was so concentrated on healing him that she didn't even notice that she was basically sitting in his lap.

Deidara on the other hand had noticed where she was, but it was soon forgotten when he felt her cooling chakra healing his broken jaw.

When she was done, Sakura stood up and went to back to the other side of the clearing.

"Why didn't you do that sooner, yeah?" Deidara asked.

"Because I was angry at the Uchiha," Sakura answered.

Everyone was surprised at her comment.

'**The only reason she was mean to me was she was angry at Itachi-san?'**

'**Haruno-san is indeed very interesting. I will continue to observe her before I attempt to gain her trust.'**

'**Che'**

'**HAHAHA! The kunoichi is mad because of Itachi! I wonder what he did.'**

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"Kunoichi!" Kisame yelled. "We are stopping and making camp. Make yourself useful and start a fire."

Sakura refrained from yelling back at the annoying shark-man.

'**I'll just beat him to a pulp later.'**

'_**YEAH!'**_

"Hey Sakura-san," Deidara called over to her. "Can you help me with my tent when you're finished with the fire?"

"Why me?" Sakura asked, annoyed that he was trying to get her to do more things.

"Because Kisame-san and Itachi-san are getting something to eat and Sasori-danna is off doing whatever he's doing," he answered.

"Hmf… fine," Sakura finally consented.

"Yay, yeah!" Deidara yelled like a kid.

Sakura finished making the fire and went over to help Deidara with the tent.

"Why do you always act like a kid?" Sakura asked.

"I don't act like a kid, yeah!" Deidara pouted, proving Sakura's point.

"Then why do you pout, yell, and screech like a baby?" Sakura smirked; she was having too much fun.

"I do not," Deidara sulked. "You were being mean."

Sakura smiled and laughed at his answer. Soon both of them were laughing at his babyish antics. He loved her laugh.

"I'm glad I got you to laugh, yeah," Deidara said with a smile on his face.

"Yeah, sometimes the only thing a person needs is a good laugh," Sakura said forgetting that she was with an Akatsuki member.

"Haruno-san, may I speak with you?" Sasori was walking into the clearing that they were setting up camp in.

"What do you need Sasori-san?" Sakura answered with a question.

"I need to speak with you privately if that can be arranged," Sasori said with a glance at Deidara.

"Fine, I'll leave Sasori-danna, yeah," Deidara said while leaving to go to the stream to wash up.

"Haruno-san, do you know of something called the Tri-Haashi?" Sasori asked as soon as Deidara was out of hearing range.

--------------------------

"We should keep going! We need to save Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled. The group of ANBU were stopping for the night.

"Naruto-kun, we need our energy if we are going to save her," Hinata tried calming him down.

"Hinata is right, Naruto," Kakashi said. "I want to save Sakura as much as you, but we really need all of our energy since we'll be going against the Akatsuki."

"Hmf, fine, but I hate having to wait so much," Naruto sulked, admitting defeat.

Naruto went back to setting up his tent.

"Neji, Lee, Tenten," Shikamaru started, "You have first watch.

"Hai!" they chanted together.

Hinata, Kakashi, Shikamaru, and Ino sat around the fire. Hinata was cooking several fish that Neji and Lee had caught.

The fish were almost done when someone finally spoke again.

"Do you think Sakura-chan is alright?" Hinata asked.

"Of course!" Lee, Naruto, Tenten, Kiba and Ino said.

"Sakura-chan has become strong," Neji said.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted.

"Don't worry too much," Kakashi said with an eye crinkle.

"Okay, I guess," Hinata said sadly. "It's just so hard to stay hopeful."

Naruto went over and hugged Hinata. "Don't worry, we'll save Sakura-chan he whispered in her ear. Hinata blushed a bright pink, even though they were technically going out, Hinata was still shy when it came to Naruto.

Smiling cutely, Hinata took the fish off the fire and gave one to each of the ANBU sitting around the campsite.

"Eat up, we need to conserve as much energy as we can," Kakashi said.

------------------------------

**A/N Sorry for not updating recently. Class started yesterday, so I've been really stressed. First day of school sucked!!! I don't know how often I will be able to update so hopefully the length of this will keep you satisfied for a while. Again sorry 'sheepish smile'**

**THANK Q's**

Forehead-Girl, Girl-who-sings-the-blues, Crazy Neko Girl, gaarsaku4ever, megumi-sachou -thanx for the correction, Puppyeye1, Shadow-Sorceress13, JenKonoha, dragondreamer99, DeiDei-kunsgirl, shurikengrl- THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING :)


	7. Chapter 7

(Editted)

'**Thoughts'**

'_**Inner character'**_

"Talking"

**Chapter 7**

**----------------------------**

Sakura lay in the farthest corner of the tent she had to share with Itachi. She was thinking about her conversation with Sasori.

_--------Flashback---------_

"_Haruno-san, do you know of something called the Tri-Haashi?" Sasori asked as soon as Deidara was out of hearing range._

"_No…" Sakura replied cautiously. "What is it?"_

"_It is an unusual kekki-genkai," Sasori started slowly. "I do not know much about it. There are only a few parchments that mention it. Apparently it is the kekki-genkai for the Haruno clan, though it has been long forgotten."_

'**The Haruno clan has a kekki-genkai? But why don't I know about this.' **_Sakura let her confusion show._

"_I was hoping that you might have stumbled upon it, Haruno-san," Sasori continued._

"_Do you know what it does? Or if it affects a certain body part like the Sharingan?" Sakura was completely confused. Her father had never said anything about the Haruno clan having a kekki-genkai._

'_**If Sasori-san is telling the truth, then the kekki-genkai has been forgotten.'**_

'**But, how… Kekki-genkai's are very important to clans. It shows status and strength…'**

"_I am not sure Haruno-san," Sasori said, "but I do know that it appears rarely for the user must be very strong in order for it to activate."_

_"The Haruno clan was never known for its strength..." Sakura said, mostly to herself. _

"_Maybe the older Harunos were able to activate it later…" Sasori trailed off hoping to get Sakura to answer some of his questions, but it seemed as though she knew less about the kekki-genkai than he did._

_--------End Flashback--------_

The rest of the night had been pretty quiet. First Itachi and Kisame had returned with food. Sakura cooked it and by the time she was done, Deidara was back. They had eaten in silence. Sakura was busy thinking about what Sasori said and not making sense of it, Itachi was always quiet; Sasori was hoping he hadn't told Sakura too much about the Tri-Haashi, Kisame was too busy enjoying his food, and Deidara was trying to figure a way to get Itachi to let Sakura sleep in his tent.

Deidara failed at getting Itachi to let Sakura sleep in his tent, so Sakura was stuck with Itachi for another night.

Sakura continued to reflect on the evening. From the depths of her mind came unbidden memories.

'**NO! I don't want to live through that again. It's no longer important.' **She whimpered silently. **'There is nothing I can gain from going through that again…'**

_-------Flashback-------_

"_Sak-ur-a…" a limp figure lay on the floor, "I need to… tell you… something." The figure went into a coughing fit._

"_Daddy!" cried a young Sakura. She rushed over to the man on the floor._

"_Sakura… I'm dieing," her father said. "Remember what mother used to tell you?"_

"_Think of a happy thing to do everyday," Sakura whispered._

"_No…cough not that one… the other thing," her father's voice was getting softer. "The one she said to never repeat."_

"_Every clan has a secret. Ours is…" Sakura started._

"_Yes… that one…" Sakura's father was having more trouble breathing. "Remember it always. cough cough Someday… you will… need… it. Find… the scroll…cough when it… is time…"_

"_Yes Daddy," Sakura whispered, tears streaming down her face. "Do you really have to go now?" she asked in a small voice._

"_Yes…" his voice was barely heard by the sobbing girl. "I must go… meet Mother… now. Be strong Sakura… like __**she**__… always wanted."_

_The man's breath was no longer heard. A small smile graced his lips as he left his daughter. He had told her the things which all Harunos must learn. He could meet his wife once more._

"_DADDY!" the girl shrieked._

_ANBU came rushing in. They saw the crying girl and the body on the floor…_

_-----------End Flashback------------_

Silent tears were streaming down Sakura's face. She was grateful that she no longer sobbed when remembering that night.

'**Daddy…'**

Sakura cried herself to sleep. That night she dreamed of her mother…

----------------------

The ANBU ate the rest of their dinner silently, each thinking about Sakura.

'**I hope Sakura-chan is alright' **Hinata

'**Haruno-san is strong; she can take care of herself…' **Neji

'**Sakura…' **Sasuke

'**Forehead girl, you better be ok' **Ino

'**You helped us, so we'll help you' **Kiba/ Akamaru

'**You promised to be at my wedding' **Shikamaru

'**I'm sorry I wasn't there Sakura' **Kakashi

'**My Youthful Cherry Blossom, do not worry for I shall save you' **Lee

'**I hope you're all right Sakura' **Tenten

'**Sakura-chan, we're coming' **Naruto

Just to make conversation, Naruto asked a question that many of the group were wondering. "Why do you think we were picked, besides the fact that we are strong?"

"Sakura once saved Akamaru and me when we were injured after an A-ranked mission," Kiba spoke up first.

"Sakura-chan is my best friend I would never sit back and wait for others to bring her back," Ino said.

"She's my student," Kakashi whispered, for once showing some of the emotion he had inside.

"We trained together for months," Lee said.

"Sakura-san helped me propose to Temari-chan, she said she would be at our wedding," Shikamaru actually bothered to answer.

"She's one of my best friends, she asked me for help with training, even though she didn't need it," Tenten said, smiling at a memory.

"Haruno-san is important to me," Neji said simply.

"Sakura-chan helped me become stronger," Hinata said in a small voice.

Sasuke sat near a tree listening to the others give their reasons for coming. He would not voice his reason for wanting to come. It would only anger the others.

'**I must kill Itachi. He is my first goal. Then I can get Sakura back. She will love me like she always did. We will get married and have children and restore the clan and…'**

'_**And what?' **_Inner Sasuke sneered. '_**Live happily ever after? Ha! That's a lie. Revenge won't be enough. You'll go down the same path as your brother.'**_

'**NO!'**

'_**Yes you will. You can feel the pull already, the darkness slowly growing stronger.' **_Inner Sasuke chuckled darkly. _**'Maybe you'll kill her too, in your thirst for blood…'**_

Sasuke inwardly cringed and forced away the demon that plagued him. He would not be overcome by darkness. Sakura would help save him.

'**Sakura…'**

--------------------------

**A/N Well I hope you all like it so far. Sasuke is starting to show his dark side. I guess Orochimaru has rubbed off on Sasuke… or he's going insane with revenge. I don't know if I'll save Sasuke or make him the villain. Review and tell me if he should become evil or be saved. (I'll give you… um… a smiley face)**

/sssssssss\

/ssss0ss0sss\

ssnssssssnss

\sssnnnnnss/

\sssssssss/

Yes, I know it looks weird...


	8. Chapter 8

'**Thoughts'**

'_**Inner Sakura/character'**_

"Talking"

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto ok?**

**Chapter 8**

**--------------------**

"So… does anyone know where exactly we're supposed to be going?" Naruto asked with a sheepish smile. "I forgot to ask Tsunade-Baachan."

"We don't know the exact location that the Akatsuki are taking Sakura to, but we have found a couple clues," Kakashi answered absently.

The group continued in silence. Suddenly Neji stopped.

"We're being watched."

The group scattered into the trees, searching for the hidden watcher.

"I think I found… oof!" Naruto yelled.

"Moron, can't you recognize someone on your team?" a familiar voice was heard.

**-----------------**

Sakura woke up early in the morning. She was curled up in the corner of the tent. She remembered the night before and began crying silently.

She stood up after a while and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. She walked quietly around Itachi and left the tent.

"Sakura?" She looked up, startled by the voice. "Are you ok, yeah?" Deidara landed in front of her, his visible eye showing his concern.

"…"

"Sakura?" She just stared at him with teary eyes before launching herself into his chest and quietly sobbing.

"Did Itachi… do something?"

"…"

"Did he… hurt you in anyway?"

Sakura shook her head. "Itachi has nothing to do with this…" she whispered in a broken voice.

"Will you tell me what happened?"

"…Later…"

The two of them stayed like that until Sakura once again fell asleep. Deidara took her to his tent and placed her gently on his sleeping bag. Once she was comfortable, Deidara kissed her gently on the forehead and left.

**--------------------**

"Temari!" Naruto yelled. "Heh, sorry about attacking you."

"Moron," Temari whispered under her breath. "Where's Shikamaru? I have information for him."

"Hey, Temari-chan, I'm right here," Shikamaru appeared behind Naruto. "What information do you have for me?"

"I'll tell you in private, come on," Temari led Shikamaru to an empty clearing.

"So?"

"It's about Sakura-chan."

**--------------------**

"Deidara, where is the girl?" Itachi's question sounded more like a demand to tell the answer.

"She's in my tent, yeah," Deidara said, unfazed by the slight glare the Uchiha sent him.

Itachi started walking over to Deidara's tent, but Deidara appeared in front of him before he could enter. "You let her walk out of your tent, you let your guard down too much around her, yeah."

"Hn." Itachi seemed calm, but he was boiling on the inside.

'**It seems I will have to wait before I can have more fun with the little cherry blossom' **Itachi smirked evilly on the inside, but somehow managed to keep his calm façade.

Itachi walked slowly away. Deidara relaxed slightly.

'Maybe now she can stay with me, yeah. It would definitely be safer for her with me, yeah.' 

Deidara walked into his tent. Sakura was still sleeping on his sleeping bag so he chose to sit on the ground and wrap his cloak around himself.

**----------------**

Sakura woke up around an hour later. She saw Deidara asleep on the ground and a little smile found its way onto her face.

'**I should give him the sleeping bag, he looks cold.'**

'_**I thought we hated the Akatsuki?'**_

'**We did, until he…'**

**_'He what? Pretended to care? Listen to yourself. You sound almost like a lovesick puppy.'_**

**'WHAT? I don't love him. I don't even trust him. I just was going to be nice since he let me have the sleeping bag, unlike Itachi.'**

**_'Hmf, fine, but you're going to regret this later.'_**

Sakura stood up and grabbed the sleeping bag. She slowly walked over to Deidara and gently placed the sleeping bag over him. Another small smile formed on her face. It quickly disappeared when she saw him shivering. She stood thinking for a short time before she climbed underneath the sleeping bag and snuggled up to him. Sakura fell asleep shortly after she noticed that he was no longer shivering.

**---------------------**

**A/N **Yay, fluffy-ness : ) Sorry it took me so long to update. I've had lots of writer's block and I'm waiting for people to vote whether Sasuke should be crazy or not.

Everyone: PLEASE REVIEW! It really keeps me going if I know that people actually enjoy this story : )

**Thank you:**

**MysteriousNekoHanyou; silver-alchemist; Sanctus Espiritus; LitoxShorty; Forehead-Girl; 43InuAsha; Inuyashasmistress25; JenKonoha; shurikengrl; Mistress Persephone**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**---------------**

Deidara woke to the sensation of being warm. He slowly opened his eyes to figure out why he was warm since he didn't remember taking the sleeping bag away from Sakura. When he opened his eyes fully he saw the sleeping bag on top of him and a sleeping Sakura snuggled up next to him. A smile bloomed on his face as he realized she must have woken up at some point in the night and put the sleeping bag on him.

He noticed she was waking up and he wasn't sure if she would be okay with how close together they were. Deidara sneaked out of the sleeping bag and pretended to be doing something as Sakura started to open her eyes.

Sakura frowned as she felt her source of heat leave. She slowly opened her eyes and stretched. She looked around the tent she was in and her gaze rested on Deidara, who was turned away from her doing something she couldn't see.

"Is this your tent?" she asked him.

"Yeah," he answered still not turning to her. "Are you feeling better, yeah?"

"Yes," she said, even though her voice was quiet, he heard her sadness.

"Do you want to talk about it, yeah? It's still pretty early and we won't be packing up until later."

"I guess I could tell you a couple of things…" Sakura trailed off. She knew she shouldn't trust him with anything, but he seemed so sincere and willing to listen. "Last night… I remembered the death of my father…"

Sakura looked down. Deidara had turned around a little while ago. He walked over to her shaking form and hesitantly hugged her. She let out a little giggle.

"What's funny, yeah?" Deidara asked, completely confused as to why she would be giggling.

"You're still scared I'll punch you senseless aren't you?"

"No…" He looked down embarrassed.

"Don't worry, I promise to not punch you senseless as long as you don't deserve it," Sakura gave him a big disarming smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I guess I should tell you a bit more huh."

"Only if you feel like it, yeah."

Sakura took a big breath, sat down on the sleeping bag, waited for Deidara to do the same, and started her story.

"It was almost 17 years ago…"

**-------------**

Sasuke trailed at the back of the group, lost in his thoughts.

'**What will happen to me? If I go after Itachi, it will put everyone in danger, but if I go for Sakura…'**

'_**If you go for Sakura, your family will never be avenged.'**_

'**If I go for Sakura first, I can save her, then kill Itachi.****'**

'_**Yeah right. If this world was perfect then maybe that would happen. I bet Itachi has already killed her, just to anger you.'**_

Inner Sasuke was sneering, hoping to make his outer loose hope in his own beliefs.

'**No… Sakura can't be dead. If he had killed her, he would have lost his advantage.'**

'_**Well… maybe he did other things. There are fates worse than death. Or maybe he's, you know, and maybe she's enjoying it.'**_

'**NO! Sakura w****ould never betray me like that!'**

'She already has…' 

"Sasuke!" Sasuke was snapped back to reality when Kakashi called his name. "We are camping here. Set up your tent."

**----------------**

"…My mother was already dead. She died a year earlier from an incurable disease," Sakura had told Deidara almost everything about that night, except about the clan secret. "That's one of the reasons I became a medic."

"…" Deidara didn't know what to say to the pink-haired girl. He didn't know if she needed comfort or understanding. He didn't even know how to give those things to her. He settled on giving her a hesitant hug, which she readily returned.

"Deidara," a call was heard outside of the tent, "you awake?"

"Yeah, what do you need?" Deidara called out to the voice, which Sakura recognized as Sasori's.

"Do you know where the girl is? She's not in Itachi's tent and he hasn't given us a straight answer as to where she is."

"I'm right here Sasori-san," Sakura answered before Deidara could open his mouth. "Do you need anything?"

"No, I just needed to make sure you hadn't run off."

"I don't think I would have made it far if I had," Sakura replied with a smile on her face.

"True," Sasori said, his voice holding a hint of laughter. "Oh, and by the way, we're leaving soon, so start packing."

When Sasori's footsteps were heard walking away from the tent, Deidara turned to Sakura and gave her one last quick hug before rolling up the sleeping bag and packing his other supplies.

Sakura walked out of the tent to see if she needed to cook again. She saw Kisame sitting next to a fire skinning a few rabbits that he had caught.

"Kisame-san, do you want me to cook those?" Sakura asked.

"Of course kunoichi, that's what you're here for," Kisame said with a wide grin on his face.

"Hmf. A yes or no would have done quite well thank you," Sakura said curtly, but the smile on her face gave away that she was joking. She sat down next to Kisame and grabbed his kunai. He tried to grab it back she kept it out of his reach and said; "I need to skin the stupid rabbits, and to do that I need a knife."

Kisame sat down with a "hmf" and watch her finish skinning the rabbits before swiping the kunai from her grasp. Sakura stuck her tongue out at him before sticking the rabbits on a couple of sticks and setting up some more sticks to hold the rabbits over the fire.

"Okay, they're done!" Sakura shouted in order to alert the whole group.

"Finally, yeah," Deidara practically charged towards Sakura. "I'm starved."

Sasori silently sat down next to the fire and Itachi wandered slowly over to the group. Kisame was still sitting where he was when Sakura started to cook the rabbits. Sakura took the rabbits off the hand-made spits and handed portions to each of her captors.

"Thank you, Haruno-san," Sasori thanked her politely.

"Yeah, thanks kunoichi," Kisame said, not really paying attention, but already drooling over the food.

"Thanks Sakura-chan, yeah," Deidara said as he sat down next to her.

Sakura smiled at the thanks she was given from the Akatsuki members.

'**You would think they've never had a cooked meal before.'**

'_**Of course they haven't. They're S-class criminals, no professional chefs.'**_

'Yeah, but you would think that at least one of them could cook at an ok level.' 

_**Inner Sakura just shrugged at her Outer's comment.**_

Sakura ate her portion slowly, savoring the meal. She had had fish for at least the past three meals. She didn't hate fish, but she hated eating the same meal over and over and over again.

"We should get going," Itachi's silky voice broke the silence that had settled during the meal.

"I agree," Sasori said.

All four Akatsuki members stood up and started to finish packing. Sakura worked on cleaning up the fire and leftovers from breakfast.

Soon all five shinobi were leaping through the trees.

**-----------**

**A/N:** It seems as though Sakura is letting her guard down… (muahahahaha)

Anyways, sorry for taking so long to update. Here's my list of excuses:

Three weeks ago I found out my Aunt had a brain tumor (She was recovering from cancer and we all thought she was going to be ok and she had just moved to France to be with her daughter and son-in-law and their baby)

Three days later my mom left for two weeks to go to my Aunt (in France)

A week after that was Exams!

And a week after that was Halloween (I LOVE HALLOWEEN!)

I had writer's block, so I slowly wrote this bit by bit until I finally finished something worth putting up

Ok.. the poll is kinda tied so I've decided that Sasuke will go crazy, but there is a possibility that he will be saved and he might find something else to live for... maybe -.-

Please review!

Thanks for Reviewing:

Silver-alchemist, Akatsuki Midnight Girl, blackscarlet47, shurikengrl, MysteriousNekoHanyou, keko1111, Forehead-Gril, missbraty2005, Sariasprincy, Inuyashasmistress25, KakashiKun5665(I love ur name :D) 43InuAsha, LitoxShorty


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**----------------**

A few days later:

"Sakura-chan, I need to blindfold you, yeah," Deidara said.

"Why?"

"So you don't find out where this headquarters is located," Itachi stated in monotone, like it was obvious.

"I don't see why it's necessary since I don't know where we are from our psycho trail everywhere," Sakura said, annoyed at the sudden change in attitude towards her. "But Deidara gets to lead me."

"Fine, yeah," Deidara said with a smile. Deidara and Sakura had grown closer the past days after she had told him of her parents' death. Sakura had been sleeping in Deidara's tent since the night she sneaked out of Itachi's tent.

Deidara put the black cloth around Sakura's eyes and grabbed both of her shoulders. He nodded to Sasori and the four Akatsuki with their blindfolded captive walked forward towards a lake they knew was in the next clearing.

The lake was a beautiful green-blue color with different aquatic birds swimming over its surface. In the center of the lake there was an island. This island was different than most because on top of it you could see a decoration made from precious stones. The stones were placed in the shape of an unusual design that made the Akatsuki think that it was important.

When they were in front of the lake, Itachi made a series of seals so fast that the others could not follow his hands. When Itachi finished the last seal, the lake divided. The group walked down the newly created path and entered the cave that appeared in the side of the island.

"We're here, yeah," Deidara whispered in Sakura's ear.

"I can't wait to see what it's like," Sakura whispered back.

Deidara led Sakura to his room before taking off her blindfold. He had a large smile on his face.

"This is my room, yeah," Deidara said excitedly.

"Wow," Sakura said. She looked around the large room. It had a dark wooden floor, but the walls were a light sandy color, like his clay. Everywhere, on shelves, on the floor, on the desk, there were clay statues. Mostly there were birds, but there were some other creatures, but no humans. The bed was large with black bedding. There was one window that had black curtains on both sides. The desk was made from a dark wood like the floor. Also there were two different doors besides the one that she had just entered from. One she decided was the bathroom, the other she thought might be a closet.

"You can stay in here, yeah," Deidara offered. "I could set up a sleeping bag and you can have the bed."

"Thanks, Dei-kun," Sakura said with a large smile. "I'd like that, but first… can I meet your leader?"

"I don't know, why do you want to meet him? He's not that nice," Deidara's smile had been replaced with a small frown.

"I want to know why I'm here. You guys still haven't told me," Sakura had a thoughtful expression on. "I also want to talk to Sasori-san about some things."

Deidara nodded before saying, "Stay here and I'll go get Sasori-danna first."

**--------------------**

"We lost their trail," Kakashi said. "We'll have to go back to Konoha for a while…"

"No!" Kakashi was cut off by Naruto, "We can stay here for a day looking for a trail before we go back. I won't give up, not now!"

"Akamaru and I will sniff around here and see if we can find anything," Kiba said, obviously in favor of Naruto's idea.

"I agree with Naruto-kun," Hinata said timidly. "We owe it to Sakura to look around a little more before giving up.

Kakashi sighed and with reluctance agreed with the three. "Fine, but if we find nothing, we set up camp and leave tomorrow." With that the group dispersed and searched the surrounding area.

**--------------------**

"You wish to speak with me Haruno-san?" Sasori asked when he walked into Deidara's room.

"Yes, but first, you have to swear you not repeat anything said in this room to anyone else," Sakura said with a strict expression that left no room to be argued with. "I need to speak with you about the Tri-Haashi."

This caught Sasori's attention. He still didn't have much information on it, since it was so rare. "You have my attention and my word that I will not repeat anything said in this room," Sasori said. Sakura searched his face for any lies, but his face was an unemotional mask.

"Well, I remembered something the night you talked to me," Sakura started cautiously, still unsure if she should trust him, but she felt she needed to. She couldn't quite place the feeling, but she decided to go with her feeling. "My mother used to tell me things about my clan's founders. Not many people remember them. They were really strong and their clan name was Haruno. Apparently they had developed a very strong jutsu…"

"Haruno-san," Sasori interrupted, "where are you going with this?"

"Well if you stayed quiet you would find out," Sakura snapped at him. "And if you must know, you need this information to understand what I'm going to tell you."

Sasori nodded his head showing that he would listen without interrupting.

"Ok, where was I…" Sakura thought for a moment before continuing. "Ok, so they are rumored to have created one of the strongest jutsus ever made. For years the clan grew and the jutsu was kept away from prying eyes. The Harunos became one of the largest and most important clans in the shinobi nations. Anyway somewhere along the line, a girl was born. She was said to have been a prodigy and that no one could surpass her, not even any of the Uchihas. Because of her abilities, she was put under pressure to do well and never fail. Well, one day she snapped and left. Just left. After she left, almost the entire clan was murdered. Only the prodigy and one man with his wife."

Sakura took a breath and looked at Sasori who was still looking at her with an indifferent expression. He nodded showing he wanted her to continue.

"The man took his wife into the land of fire and hid himself with his wife, hoping to never be found. He had no such luck. The girl, when she found out what had happened, had gone looking for any remaining members of her clan. Well, she found them and she stayed with them for a while because they were the only ones who hadn't pushed her. One day she left them, looking for more action because she didn't want to live in hiding only training and never using her skills. So she went to Konogakure(sp?). When she arrived there, she spoke with the Hokage, who agreed to let her stay and gave her a rank as a ninja. She stayed for a year doing A and S-ranked missions, many were solo missions. Well, after that year she met a man. They fell in love and had a child. That child was the third Haruno to receive the full powers of the Haruno clan's kekei-genkai. Her mother was the second and the first was the founder. The child was a girl and so was the founder. Women are born to the Haruno clan only through pure blood Haruno women. Also, the kekei-genkai only appears in strong Haruno women. It can appear as early as the eighth year, if the girl is told and as late as thirty if she has to discover it by herself."

"Wait," Sasori interrupted again. "How is this possible? A kekei-genkai that is passed to women. Not only that, but strong women only. That is highly unusual. No wonder it disappeared from the records…" Sasori trailed off, momentarily lost in thought. "Thank you Haruno-san for telling me all this."

"There is more…"

"Not now, I need time to look over everything you have told me," Sasori said before she could continue. His head was already hurting, and that was saying something.

'**Haruno-san has told me many things. I shall keep my promise for now and not tell anyone.'**

Sasori nodded to Sakura and left Deidara's room. Soon after Deidara came in with confusion showing on his face.

"What were you talking about with Sasori-danna?" Deidara asked. "I've never seen him so deep in thought and confused about anything ever, yeah!"

"Something I can't tell you quite yet," Sakura said, who was also deep in thought, wondering if she should have told Sasori and if he would keep his promise of not telling anyone.

"…Ok, I guess, yeah," Deidara said, slightly hurt that Sakura couldn't tell him something. "Well, anyway, your conversation with Sasori-danna took so long that it's dark out now, yeah. Why don't you go to sleep and you can talk with Leader-sama tomorrow, yeah."

"That sounds great Deidara-kun," Sakura said with a big smile. She walked over to the bed, gave Deidara one more smile before getting in the bed and pulling the covers up to her chin and falling asleep."

Deidara watched Sakura sleep with a small smile on his face before grabbing a chair, sketchbook and pencils and sitting down. He started to sketch Sakura sleeping.

**-----------------**

An hour later Deidara left his room. He walked down a few winding hallways before entering the kitchen and grabbing some instant ramen. He boiled water and poured the water into the cup. While he ate the ramen, he thought about Sakura and what she was doing with Sasori. He also thought about what he felt for Sakura.

**-----------------**

"Come in."

Sasori entered and bowed before the man known as Leader-sama.

"Leader-sama," Sasori started, "there are some things I would like to discuss with you about the recently captured Sakura Haruno."

**-----------------**

Note!: I'm sooooo sorry everyone. I've been totally dead because of school and super cool Christmas and New Years then more school… Anyway, I hope this was longer than usual and I also hope it was good enough to satisfy for a while. I'll try to update in a few days, but I have volleyball games popping up all over the place and they make it hard to be home before six or seven. Also I have a surprising amount of homework to do. I'll try to write a really long chapter for the next one. Also the design on the island will end up being important so don't forget it. Also, I would love fanart! But… yeah, I don't think my story's good enough for that so, eheh, you can all forget that :D Anyway, please, please, please review! I know you're all out there reading this, I'll give you cookies!

**Thank You for Reviewing:**

Kitten-nin, OlderThanSheLooks, -SMILING.ROSE, Red n Black Roses, Deidralvr, Akatsuki Midnight Girl, Akatsuki-Dawn of Love- Thanks for the idea, I might use it :D, black55widow, The Dark Moon Alchemist- Sorry for the OOCness, I'll try harder to keep them in character. Thank you for the advice :D, Sailor-Vampire, 43InuAsha, Dendra, jackie-chan1230, Amthyst Rose Dracoanias, samurifox25 and LitoxShorty.

Thanks again:D


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**-----------------------**

The next morning found Sakura awake and ready for the day. She had rested well and she was looking forward to meeting the man called "Leader". She figured Deidara was taking a shower since he wasn't in the room and she could hear water running. It wasn't long before Deidara came out, his hair dripping wet in just a towel.

Sakura quickly turned around, but not before checking him out. His chest was defined, but not overly muscular. His muscles rippled as he dried his hair, oblivious to the blushing Sakura.

Deidara looked up to see the back of Sakura and started blushing. He quickly grabbed his clothes and put them on before telling her she could turn around.

When she did, Sakura saw that his hair was still down and a bit damp. She walked over to him and grabbed the hair tie from his hand. Deidara had to sit on the bed in order for Sakura to be able to reach.

After she had finished, Deidara stood and gave her a goofy grin. "You want some breakfast, yeah?" he asked. Her answer came as a nod, a smile on her face as well.

Deidara led Sakura through the large building known as the one of the Akatsuki hideouts. She was surprised to see that it wasn't dark and foreboding, but quite pleasant and not at all what she expected.

Deidara watched her as she looked around. He led her swiftly through the halls, hoping that no one would interrupt the wonderful atmosphere. They finally arrived at the kitchen and Deidara dramatically held open the door and waved his hand offering her the lead. This earned him a giggle from the pink-haired girl.

Kisame and Itachi were in the kitchen when they arrived. Both watched the couple with unreadable looks. Although Itachi's just seemed like he didn't care while Kisame's seemed to hide something more gleefully sinister.

Deidara grabbed two bowls, spoons, milk and cereal and put them on the table. He then sat down motioning Sakura to join him. She sat in the seat right next to him and across from Kisame. Deidara poured the cereal in both bowls then did the same thing with the milk. He passed Sakura's bowl to her and began digging into his. Sakura began eating as well, but in a more dignified manner.

Breakfast was finished quickly with very little conversation. Kisame still had an air around him that spoke of schemes and plots, things that definitely did not bode well with Sakura.

As they were walking back along the hallways to Deidara's room, Sakura asked, "When can I see your leader? I really do need to talk to him."

"Hmm, I wouldn't know, yeah. I'll go ask him after I put you safely in my room," Deidara said with a smile.

Sakura smiled back touched by the fact that he seemed to care so much.

'**Maybe he does really care, but that's impossible… right?'**

'_**You are soooo falling for him.'**_

'**I am not… I think. Well, I guess I am, but I can't and I'll just have to ignore it because I'm going to get out of here.'**

'_**Yep, and I'm not wanting to kiss Dei-kun senseless.'**_

'**STOP THINKING LIKE THAT! It's hard enough resisting it without you giving me ideas.'**

While Sakura had her internal argument, Deidara once again watched his cherry blossom, thinking of anything he could do to keep her away from the cruel man he called Leader-sama.

'**I wonder if Sakura-chan will be okay if I let her talk to Leader-sama. What if he gets mad at her and decides to hurt her. Or maybe he will torture her to get information… Ugh! I really don't want her to meet him, but there's no excuse I can give her to keep her from going…' **His distress showed on his face as he contemplated the dangers of her meeting his Leader-sama.

"Deidara?" Sakura's gentle voice broke him out of his thoughts. "Where are we?"

Deidara took a look around and groaned. They had somehow made their way across the base and were no longer near his room.

"Sorry, yeah. I was lost in my thoughts," Deidara said with a sheepish smile on his face. "My room is far back that way, yeah."

Sakura laughed at Deidara, turned around and started walking back the way they had come. "Come on slow poke, or we'll never be back at your room before we have to go to lunch." A wide grin was present on her face and Deidara quickly caught up with her, glad that she wasn't mad.

**------------**

Ten minutes later Deidara and Sakura had made it back to Deidara's room.

"Wait here, yeah," Deidara said before he left the room. He came back a while later and motioned for Sakura to follow him.

They walked down several halls before stopping in front of a large intimidating door. It was painted black with a large red dragon with white detailing on it.

**------------**

A/N Sorry, sorry, sorry! I've been majorly busy with school, but spring break is coming up so I'll try to update more.

THANK YOU every one who reviewed. :D :D :D :D


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**--**

Deidara knocked on the door twice and a loud "Come in" was heard. Sakura walked confidently forward and pushed it open. She heard the door close behind her. In front of her was a man hidden by the shadows surrounding him. Bowing her head respectfully, she waited for the man to speak.

"Sakura Haruno, captain of the first ANBU squad," the man began. "An impressive girl, yes, but captured by the notorious Akatsuki. Forced to come with the four members she came along without knowing the reason for her capture. Now she comes to the man known as Leader-sama wanting answers." The man, Leader-sama, listed off what had happened in the recent past. "Is this true?"

"Yes," Sakura said with another respectful bow. "I have been brought here without knowing why, as you have said, and I do want answers. I was hoping you would be willing to give me some."

"My willingness to answer you will depend on the questions you ask."

"My first question is, why you have brought me here?" Sakura asked, knowing that she had a very small chance of even getting an answer. She was already surprised by the civility that this man was showing her.

"I can not answer that question," Leader-sama said. "Until you have found other things, I can not tell you that."

'**What does he mean by that?'**

'_**Why are you asking me? I don't know any better than you.'**_

'**I wasn't asking you!'**

Sakura pondered Leader-sama's answer for a little longer before moving on to her other questions. "What did Sasori-san tell you?"

A chuckle escaped the shadowed man. "Nothing. Unfortunately he would not break his word to you so I must wait until you will tell me yourself. He did however discuss other things with me."

"Like what?"

"Things I can not tell you now. Not until Sasori has figured it all out."

"What is 'it'?"

"Again, something I can not tell you."

Sakura was frustrated with the conversation. She was gaining more questions than answers. She was also irritated by the fact that Leader-sama's voice seemed familiar. Like a long lost memory that she couldn't remember no matter how hard she tried to. "Thank you for your time Leader-sama, but I wish to go to Deidara's room and think through what you have told me," she said with a confused and irritated expression.

"As you wish Sakura-san."

Sakura bowed once more before turning and opening the door and leaving. Outside Deidara was waiting impatiently, pacing to the point where the carpet had a small rut in it.

"Thank God you're alright!" he exclaimed when he caught sight of Sakura. "What's wrong, yeah?"

"Nothing," Sakura replied absent-mindedly. "I need to see Sasori-san briefly before dinner."

"Ok, yeah," he said unsure of what she wanted with his danna. "You wait in my room and I'll go get him."

Sakura only nodded, she was too distracted by her thoughts.

'**This is sooooo irritating. He didn't tell me much. Only that something is going on behind this and Sasori-san is in on it. I wonder what is going on… Something big, that includes me and only Leader-sama and Sasori-san know about it.'**

'_**And it must be majorly important. What I don't get is he saying that we need to find something. I have no idea what he is talking about.'**_

'**I might. Remember our lost memories?'**

'_**No. They're lost, remember?'**_

'**Duh, I know that. But think, what do you do with lost things? You find them… Get it?'**

'_**Yeah, I see where you're going with this! We have to remember the memories and they will unlock things that are important to whatever is going on!'**_

'**Yeah, but what if by remembering I do something horrible that will let the Akatsuki gain even more power?'**

Sakura's thoughts were interrupted by Sasori entering the room. "You wished to see me, Haruno-san?" Sasori said in his calm voice.

"Hmm? Oh, yes," Sakura answered. "I want to know if what is going on has to do with my past?"

"I'm not sure if I can tell you, but yes, we are pretty sure that the memories that are locked away are the key to releasing you."

"The key?"

**--**

The ANBU returned to the clearing. "Did anyone find a lead?" Kakashi asked the ANBU surrounding him.

Several depressed 'No…'s came from the discouraged men and women around him.

Sasuke stood in a tree at the edge of the clearing, thinking about one thing, his brother.

'**If we go back now, I can't kill Itachi or get Sakura back.'**

'_**Stop kidding yourself. Don't add Sakura in there, you don't care about her, I thought we already talked about that.' **_Sasuke's inner had a cruel smirk on his face.

'**I will save Sakura, but I can't let my brother live any longer.'**

Sasuke continued his inner argument while the others decided which jobs each person would do to set up camp since they had to return to Konoha. Shikamaru and Temari had already headed back with the information Temari had brought.

Sighs were heard around the clearing as the ANBU slowly set up camp. Some went off to find wood and food. Others set up the tents and made a fireplace.

Sasuke continued to sit in his tree above all the others. His inner war was continuing to rage in his mind. His face seemed as stoic as ever, but he was slowly loosing his control.

**--**

"Sasori-san, what do you mean by 'the key'?" Sakura asked, her forehead creased with thought.

"I can not tell you that right now Haruno-san. There are many things I have not figured out yet. Such as how the Haruno kekkei-genkai disappeared from the records for years. I also don't understand how only women can gain the Tri-Haashi, and not only women, but pure blooded and extremely strong Haruno women," Sasori said, deep in thought.

"Hmm, maybe I can tell you more of the history of the Haruno clan," Sakura suggested.

Sasori nodded, "That sounds like a good idea, Haruno-san."

"Ok, now, where was I…" Sakura trailed off into thought before remembering where Sasori had cut her off. "Ok, so the child of the prodigy, the third to gain the Haruno kekkei-genkai, grew up as another prodigy and Konoha was excited to have another warrior with the Tri-Haashi, but something went wrong. Someone pushed her too far or someone asked too much from her, but whatever it was, she left. She disappeared into thin air and wasn't heard from. Her mother died from a broken heart and her father became lost and wandered the streets at night calling for his daughter. He died from starvation and hypothermia when he went out looking for her in the middle of winter. Years later, the girl, now a grown woman, was spotted outside Konoha. People thought it was her ghost come back to haunt those her used her for their own gain. It turned out that she had come back after hearing her parents were dead, but she hadn't believed, so she came back to see if it was true."

Sasori stared at Sakura with slightly wide eyes as she started shaking and had to stop to collect herself. He observed that she suddenly looked much older than she was.

"When the girl saw her parents' graves she broke into tears and ended up running away to her favorite place when she was a child. A man found her there, he comforted her and took her to his home in order to make sure she didn't starve herself. This man was a Haruno, she didn't know it and he didn't either because his grandparents had changed their name in order to escape suspicion from other clans. His grandparents were the couple that had survived the massacre of the Haruno clan. The man and the woman were happy with each other, they didn't love each other yet, but they enjoyed being together. One day late in August, he proposed and she happily said yes…"

Sakura again trailed off, this time tears managed to get past her guard. She was having a harder time telling this story than she thought she would have. Sasori was shocked (not really showing it of course) that Sakura was getting so worked up over an old history lesson. Then he realized, it probably wasn't so old of a lesson.

'**It's the past Sakura, you can do this. You want to find out what your parents meant by everything they taught you don't you? If Sasori-san knows, he can help a lot more than without him knowing.'**

'_**Be strong Sakura-chan, we can do this!'**_For once her inner self was helpful.

After another deep breath, Sakura continued her story. "Four years later they had a cute little girl running around their house. She had pink hair and green eyes. She had already started to work on her ninja training, even though her parents didn't like it very much. She was getting strong and her parents were worried that she might gain the kekkei-genkai, but they were worried that she would be pressured like all the women that had gained the Tri-Haashi before her. So they told her clues that she would hopefully remember when she was older in order to unlock her powers, but they didn't tell her out right about the kekkei-genkai. They continued life like that until one day the murderers of the Haruno clan found the house they were living in. The mother was found first, she was caught off guard and poisoned without anyone knowing, but everyone thought she had died from a rare illness. The father was found shortly after and killed brutally. The child had been hidden in a cabinet during the fight, but had rushed out as soon as the cruel men left. She ran to her father, tears streaming down her face. She cried for her father, telling him to stay, but he only told her to remember what her mother had told her about the Harunos. The girl had thought the stories to be myths or just tales that her mom told her for bedtime stories…"

"Haruno-san, are you that girl?" Sasori asked Sakura as she once again broke into tears at remembering everything. All she did was nod.

"Deidara-kun, please come in now," Sakura called.

Deidara immediately came in the door and saw Sakura crying. He first thought it was something his Danna had said, but then he decided that she probably would have hit him if that was the case. He then went straight over to Sakura and she hugged him, crying into his shoulder.

"I will leave now Haruno-san, I again have much to think about," Sasori gave a slight bow and left Deidara's room.

"What happened?" Deidara asked concerned for Sakura.

"I told him about my parents' deaths," Sakura said still slightly sobbing and shaking. "Just keep holding me," she whispered into his shoulder.

Deidara moved to sit on the bed and let Sakura curl into him. He gave a bittersweet smile at being able to hold her, but still upset that she had to again remember what must have been a horrible night for her.

"Shh, just sleep now, it's late again," Deidara continued to whisper in Sakura's ear until she had fallen asleep. Deidara soon followed her into the realm of dreams.

**--**

A/N: I'm sorry for not updating sooner. I've been really really busy and I haven't had much inspiration for this story or my other one. I finished school like two weeks ago and all my summer jobs had already started so I've been working and passing (hopefully) exams. I should start updating every month at the latest and every week at the earliest. Also my computer had broken down… evil thing. Anyway, I hope this is good and I feel terrible for not updating sooner… sorry :D

THANKS FOR REVIEWING!!

Akatsuki's-Angel-of-death, BlUe-EyEd-NiNjA-of ThE UsA, A Flying Sponge, wateveruwannacallme, Leila411_there will definately be more, but I'm not sure how much_, Inuyashasmistress, Cloud Watcher 13, aznkitty180, 43InuAsha, Blackscarlet47, 43v3rLitleKe-Ke-Kim-K


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**--**

**DISCLAIMER! I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. The only things I own are the plot and any characters that do not appear in the anime/manga.**

**--**

Sasuke stayed up much later than the others. His inner war waging, he sat up in a tree thinking about both sides of his argument.

'**I need to avenge my clan, but I also need to revive it as well… How can I do both?'**

'_**You can't you stupid boy, just kill Itachi and don't let anything get in your way!'**_

'**But Sakura… She's the only one I want to have for a wife. I will never admit it out loud, but she's become strong, her reputation has spread all over the five shinobi nations.'**

'_**Don't go soft you idiot! You will destroy all my… er… our plans! If you don't kill Itachi, than what's the point of saving that pathetic excuse of a kunoichi?'**_

Sasuke continued to growl at himself. He didn't notice Kakashi watching him, seemingly knowing what was going on in his mind. For once Sasuke's face showed the emotions that were swirling in him in a confusing swarm of thoughts. Kakashi watched Sasuke through the night, wondering if the unstable boy would run and look for the Akatsuki on his own. Thankfully Sasuke had decided to stay with the group, at least for now, and by the time the sun was rising, Sasuke had fallen into a fitful slumber. Kakashi stayed up continuing to watch, not only for attacks on the camp, but also to make sure Sasuke stayed.

After everyone woke up, Kakashi gathered the depressed group together. "We need to head back until we get another lead." A chorus of groans surrounded him. "I don't want to go back anymore than any of you, but Tsunade needs us back if we aren't doing anything productive out here. Konoha is doing better, but we, as ANBU, are still needed. I am sure that as soon as we can figure out where the Akatsuki are located, Tsunade will send us out again." Everyone's heads were hung, depression hanging over them like a storm cloud. Kakashi sighed. "Come on guys, we have to get going."

Everyone went about cleaning up their camp silently. No one wanted to leave, they wanted to stay and have another day to look for their cherry blossom, but they all knew Kakashi was right, that Konoha needed them. So with frowns on their faces, they continued taking down their tents and destroying any remains of the camp. When the clearing was back to the way is was before they had set up camp, the group jumped into the forest, heading home to Konoha.

**--**

Sakura woke up alone in Deidara's room. Light was shining into the room making Sakura scrunch her eyes in discomfort. She rolled over, giving a slight groan as her stiff limbs stretched out. Her stomach gave a loud grumble, signifying her growing hunger. She groaned again, not wanting to start another day filled with more confusing facts that she had to put together. As she stretched out again, she noticed a pile of clothing on a chair with a note on top. She hopped out of the bed and walked over. Picking up the note, she quickly read it over. It said:

_Sakura-chan,_

_These clothes are for you, I hope they fit. I'm getting lunch, I should be back soon._

_-Deidara_

Sakura gave a small smile before grabbing a shirt and a pair of pants and heading towards the bathroom. Once she had closed and locked the door behind her, she stripped off her clothes and stepped into the shower. She took a quick, warm shower and was soon clean, dry and clothed. She unlocked the bathroom and stepped into the bedroom where Deidara was waiting with a tray of food for both of them.

"Hey Sakura-chan! You're awake, yeah," Deidara said with a smile. "You had me worried that something had happened to you." Deidara's smile shrank as his worry showed through.

Sakura smiled at the blond artist and was touched by the concern she heard in his voice. "I'm fine Deidara-kun, I've just been through an exhausting few days. Not to mention all the attention you all are giving me," Sakura lightly teased the young man, whose smile grew bigger as he was reassured that Sakura was alright.

'**I wonder if he really cares. I know I already thought about this, but… he just seems so sincere.'**

'_**He might be, but don't let your guard down just yet, he might be trying to use our attraction for his own gain.'**_

'**I don't think he would do that, but ok, I will be careful like you ask.'**

'_**Good girl, now pay attention, he's talking!'**_

"Sakura-chan? Are you listening, yeah?" Deidara was tempted to knock on her head to see if she was still there.

"Hmm?" Sakura snapped out of her daze. "Oh, yeah, sorry about that. I guess I kind of dazed off for a minute." Sakura rubbed the back of her neck with a sheepish smile plastered on her face.

"I guess you did, yeah," Deidara said with a laugh. "Anyway, I asked if you wanted lunch, yeah?"

"Lunch would be great," Sakura said, her stomach giving its consent in form of a growl. Blushing, Sakura said, "Thanks Deidara-kun."

Deidara and Sakura sat on the bed with the tray of food in between them. Sakura grabbed a sandwich and some fruit, both quickly disappeared. Deidara grabbed the other sandwich and an apple. He ate slower since he wasn't nearly as hungry as Sakura. As she started slurping up the ramen he brought, Deidara let out a small chuckle at the speed Sakura was eating.

"What's so funny?" Sakura asked with noodles hanging out of her mouth. As Deidara started to laugh harder, she finished the ramen and asked again, "What the hell is so funny?"

"You, yeah," Deidara said in between laughs. Sakura blinked a few times before joining him in laughing.

"Yeah, I guess I went a little over board," Sakura had a big grin on her face. "I was just so hungry."

Still laughing Deidara said, "I guess we should keep you fed regularly, or we might run out of food, yeah."

"Hey! I don't eat that much," Sakura said with a fake pout. She pushed Deidara who fell off the bed. They shared one more look before both broke out in laughing fits.

**--**

"Report," Tsunade said. Kakashi was the only other person standing in the office.

"We were unable to keep following the Akatsuki. Their trail disappeared before we could catch up to them. Sakura seems to still be safe since there was no blood along the trail," Kakashi said, his displeasure in failing to gain his ex-student back evident in the stiffness of his posture. "Sasuke stayed with the group and followed orders, but I would not send him out when we get more information about the Akatsuki. He is not stable enough to save Sakura without killing or harming her."

"Anything else important happen?" Tsunade asked, trying to gain as much information as she could.

"No, besides the fact that the Akatsuki seem to be able to disappear whenever they want… I think we will have to wait until they show up again."

Tsunade's fist hit the desk in front of her, breaking the poor piece of furniture. "That's not what I wanted to hear, Hatake! I want my student back!" Tsunade sat back down sighing. "Sorry Hatake, I'm sure you understand my displeasure. Just keep a look out when you're out on missions."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Kakashi gave a small bow before leaving the room in a puff of smoke.

"Sakura, where are you?" Tsunade stared out the window, wishing she could somehow just see her beloved student.

**--**

Deidara was showing Sakura around the Akatsuki hideout. They were out in the garden when they found Sasori and Kisame. They continued walking through the garden, Sakura naming all the plants they found and Deidara just staring stupidly going, "Huh, yeah? What the hell is nightshade?" Sakura just laughed at his lack of knowledge of herbs and poisons.

"If one of your teammates get poisoned, I hope someone else knows how to cure them," Sakura snickered, "because you certainly will kill them." She started laughing at his insulted look.

"They wouldn't die," Deidara said indignantly, "I would bring them here to you, yeah." Deidara had a triumphant smile on his face.

"What makes you think I would heal them, I am still your enemy," Sakura said, curious to see how he would answer.

"We would force you, Sakura-san." Sakura and Deidara turned to the new comer.

"What do you want Itachi, yeah?"

"Leader wants to speack with you, Deidara," Itachi answered him impassively.

"Fine, yeah," Deidara said moodily. "I'll see you in a little while, Sakura-chan!" Deidara walked away after waving to Sakura.

Ignoring Itachi completely, Sakura started walking to where she had seen Sasori and Kisame earlier, but was stopped when Itachi grabbed her wrist.

--

**A/N: Duh, duh, DUH! What is Itachi thinking?!**

**Anyway, sorry for the long time in between updates. My muse has been gone and there have been deaths in the family and work and school started two weeks ago and all that lovely junk that no one likes. So, sorry again. You can be mad at me… just not mean please :D**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, they do help and make me write more :D**


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